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HARVARD UNIVERSITY, 




P H I L A D E I. P H T A : 

B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 

1890. 



HARVARD UNIVERSITY, 



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P H I li A D E L P H I A : 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 

1890. 






Copyright, 1890, by J. B. Ltppincott Company. 



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HARVARD UNIVERSITY. 



Harvard University, founded as a college in 1638, 
is the oldest, richest, and best equipped of the institu- 
tions of learning in the United States. It is located at 
Cambridge (q.v.), Massachusetts, and its numerous 
buildings (nearly fifty) are the chief features of the 
town. It was named in honour of the' Rev. John 
Harvard, who was probably born in Southwark in 
1607, graduated in 1635 at Emanuel College, Cam- 
bridge, came to New England in 1637, and, dying in 
1638, bequeathed to the proposed college his library 
of over 300 volumes and £77g. During the colonial 
period the avowed object of Harvard College was ' the 
education of the English and Indian youth in knowl- 
edge and godliness,' mainly with a view to their enter- 
ing the Puritan ministry: only one Indian ever gradu- 
ated (in 1665). In its infancy the college was supported 
by voluntary contributions from the churches, and by 
grants from the Massachusetts colony, but for a long 
time it was a rather obscure and feeble school. Its 
expansion into a university, its deliverance from secta- 
rian control, and its independence from the state have 
been accomplished during the 19th century. During 
the same period its resources have enormously in- 
creased, and almost wholly from private donations. It 



4 HARVARD UNIVERSITY. 

was mainly under the rule of the state until 1865, 
when by statute the government was vested in a board 
of thirty overseers, in six classes of five members each, 
chosen by the alumni ; one class being renewed annu- 
ally. . The overseers direct the courses of study and 
general management, but the nominations of professors 
and other officers are made by the * corporation,' con- 
sisting of the president and five fellows, a self-perpetu- 
ating body, originally created by charter in 1650, and 
holding all the property of the university as trustees. 
The nominations made by the ' corporation' require 
confirmation by the overseers. 

The halls for ' recitations' and lectures, and for 
students' loSgings, as also the chapel, library, and law- 
school, are in a square called the college yard, con- 
taining about 15 acres, planted with beautiful elms. 
The other buildings are in other parts of the town, not 
far distant, and occupy about 60 acres. The Agassiz 
museum of comparative zoology is world-famous. 
The Peabody museum of American archaeology and 
ethnology dates from 1866; and in 1890 a sum of 
;^50,ooo was given t© found a museum of Semitic an- 
tiquities. The most imposing edifice is Memorial Hall, 
built in honour of the alumni who fell during the civil 
war. It is 310 feet in length, and 115 in breadth, and 
has a tower 200 feet high. An ample vestibule con- 
tains busts and mural tablets. The principal hall is 
164 by 60 feet, and 80 feet to the ceiling. This has a 
fine collection of historical portraits. It is used as a 
dining-hall, and accommodates nearly 700 at table. At 
the eastern end is a beautiful theatre for public exer- 
cises on ceremonial occasions. Memorial Hall, built 



HARVARD UNIVERSITY. 5 

of brick and freestone, in Norman style, richly orna- 
mented, needs only the mellowing touch of age to be 
one of the most impressive collegiate buildings in the 
world. 

In the academic department the requirements for 
adn>ission are high, and as a consequence few students 
enter before the age of eighteen. There is a choice of 
two lines of study, both including ancient classics, 
mathematics, and other sciences; but in one line the 
classics are prominent, in the other the sciences. There 
are also various minor elections of study; but no 
degree is given without some full course, thoroughly 
carried out. As the university is amply endowed, 
there are many scholarships in all the departments, 
besides prizes and aids of many sorts, amounting to 
about ;^45,000 per annum. Morning prayers are con- 
ducted by clergymen of different denominations in 
turn ; and students must attend Sunday services at the 
church designated by their parents. The general 
library contains above 250,000 volumes; and other 
libraries raise the total to 360,000 volumes. There is 
a well-equipped observatory, besides a botanic garden 
and an arboretum. There are no fees payable to pro- 
fessors ; each student on matriculation pays a general- 
fee, and may attend as many courses as he elects. 
Expenses vary with the habits of the student, but 
necessary expenses need not exceed ^looo (;^20o) per 
annum ; with economy one can live reputably for ;^8oo 
(i!'l6o). The college terms cover about forty weeks. 

The following are the departments included in the 
university, with the number of students attached to 
each. Harvard College (1271); the Divinity School 



6 HARVARD UNIVERSITY, 

(35); the Law School (254); the Lawrence Scientific 
School (65); the Medical School (290); the Dental 
School (in Boston, 35) ; the Bussey Institution, a school 
of agriculture (2) ; the School of Veterinary Medicine 
(in Boston, 20); and the Graduate Department (with 
107 resident graduates). Exclusive of 220 students of 
the summer course, the total number of students is 
thus 2079. There are 71 professors. 21 assistant-pro- 
fessors, and 121 other teachers, besides 44 proctors 
and other officers. The invested funds of the univer- 
sity, exclusive of lands, buildings, books, and apparatus, 
amounted in July 1889 to ;g6, 874,046, of which the 
annual income was ;?337,532. The revenue from stu- 
dents' fees is not much less than ^300,000 per annum. 
So that the total income is considerably more than 
i^ 1 00,000 a year. 

There is a society for the collegiate instruction of 
women bv professors and instructors of Harvard Col- 
lege. The students have access to the university 
library, and after a four years' course may obtain cer- 
tificates corresponding to the B. A. degree. The society, 
known generally as the Harvard ' annex,' was organised 
in 1879, and in 1889 had 115 students. See William 
Rendle's monograph on John Harvard (1885). 



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